A Proper Goodbye
by thewaveg
Summary: Greenlee's last day in Pine Valley. -- EDIT: Added 2nd chapter in light of Greenlee coming back for some good lighthearted Ryan and Rylee bashing - because in PG terms: they really stink together.
1. Chapter 1

It was the moment that would define the rest of her life. She was going to do this. All eyes were on her; the one and only Greenlee Smythe. And that was just the way she always liked it. Jack was there. She knew he didn't want to be, but he was a great dad. She was lucky to have him. Roger for Jack certainly wasn't the worst trade-off in the world. Erica was there. Miss everyone-look-at-me herself showed up on _Greenlee's_ day. Greenlee did enjoy that. It always felt good having Erica play second fiddle to her. Aidan was there. Boy was that a loaded issue. But they had worked out their problems and decided they could be friends. Still, she was shocked he would come considering… but she was going to be happy. And this was her best chance.

"Miss Smythe? Excuse me, Miss Smythe, are you ready?"

Now brought back to reality, Greenlee looked up at the man across from her. Ryan, obviously a little frustrated by Greenlee's lack of attention to their wedding, gave her a half smile. Greenlee nodded at the minister. "My best chance at happiness," she inwardly reminded herself.

"Do you, Ryan Lavery, take this woman to be your wife? To love, honor, and cherish as long as you both shall live?"

"I do."

"And do you-"

"I can't take this anymore," Jack shouted. "I object to this disaster!" Watching her with that loser once was enough and while Jack had wanted to be at the wedding to support his daughter, he couldn't just sit there and do nothing. He was going to make his case. "Sweetheart. Don't you remember what this pompous jerk did to you? I mean, he manhandled you and then faked his death! That's not love. And you think this clown can make you happy? He'll just fall in love with someone else in a month. Please, I'm begging you not to go through with this, Greenlee. Marrying Ryan isn't the answer."

Greenlee pulled her father aside and held his hands. "I know how you feel about him, daddy. But I'm going to do this and you can't stop me." Jack had a tear in his eye. "There is nothing I can do to change your mind? Do you really love him?" Greenlee took a deep breath and looked into her father's eyes. "I believe deep in my heart that this is my best chance at being happy. And nothing is going to stop me from being happy."

"Shall we continue?" The minister asked. "Okay then. Greenlee Smythe, do you-"

"Don't marry her, Ryan! Marry me!"

Ryan rolled his eyes. Annie, his nut-job ex had just barged through the door. "Someone get her out of here," he requested. Jesse got up and had to forcefully escort Annie out, with her yelling for Ryan to love her again the entire time.

"Wow, two objections!" the minister exclaimed in disbelief. New on the job, he wasn't used to the excitement of a Pine Valley wedding. "Let's continue-"

"I object too!"

Oh no. Greenlee was afraid of this. She hoped she and Aidan were fine as friends and yet here he was, standing in front of his seat in the last row of the church, objecting to her marrying Ryan.

"Greenlee, I can't do this. I can't pretend like this wedding isn't tearing me apart. I still love you, and you can't marry him without knowing that. So what do you say?"

Greenlee walked over to him so as to make her answer a little more private. "I'm sorry, Aidan, but this is the way it has to be. I did love you. But if it was the kind that I needed for life, then I never would have let you go for Ryan. I know that's hard to hear, but if I am going to be happy, I have to give Ryan the chance to prove we can have that forever type of love." She gave him a peck on the cheek. "And I really hope you can support me, but I understand if you want to leave." Aidan nodded at her in acceptance and with a lowered head, made his way out of the church. Greenlee took a deep breath and began to make her way back to the front. But Amanda had beaten her there.

"Ryan, you can't marry Greenlee," Amanda began to plead. "Because I love you."

Amanda was getting questionable stares from the entire room.

"Uh, Amanda," Ryan began, quite annoyed at having another interruption. "I'm kind of getting married here so can you please go sit back down and let me do it?"

Amanda felt crushed. "But I love you, Ryan!" "You don't even know me!" he shot back. She ashamedly walked back to her seat next to Joe Martin. She noticed his where did that come from look. "What do you expect?" she asked him. "I'm a woman. I live in Pine Valley. Of course I love Ryan! It's a rule, right?"

Behind Amanda sat Erica and Zach. "Well, this is definitely not a dull wedding," Zach acknowledged to Erica, knowing how she must be loving this. Erica flashed a big smile: "You mean Greenlee having her own wedding interrupted for a change? Ha! This is great!" "So Roger getting shot and a pool fight with the ex don't qualify?" "Oh Zach, just let me enjoy this. David would be kicking back with a bag of popcorn if he knew the entire town would be objecting to this wedding, but he refused to come - said he wouldn't support Greenlee throwing her life away."

The minister waited for silence before attempting to try again. This was getting ridiculous.

"Aw heck, I object too!" Jake cried out. "Greenlee, I don't recognize you anymore. I saw what a great love did to you – how it affected you. You were full of life and enthusiasm. You taught me how to let loose and have fun. But look at you now. You're a shell of who you used to be. There was never a dull moment when you were around, but you've become almost… boring. You were so full of energy and now you are just a dull pod version of who you were, who acts as a doormat for the man she claims to love. Ryan changes you, Greenlee. He drags you down. I won't support this!"

"Jake, wait!" Greenlee tries to stop him, but he walks out anyway. She was devastated. Greenlee wanted the people she cared about to support her. And yet, her father didn't. Aidan and Jake had walked out. David wouldn't even come. This was supposed to be her last chance at happiness for life and she couldn't even have a happy wedding day. But more than that, something about what Jake said had hit home. On some level, she knew it was the truth.

"Let's try this," the minister announced. "Does anyone here _not_ object this wedding?"

Ryan had had enough. "That's it! I don't care who doesn't support us because the only people that can stop this wedding are myself and Greenlee and we are going to do this. The rest of you can all keep your mouth shut or get out! I love this woman and I am going to marry her. She is the love of my life – accept it! Now we are going to get married and there isn't a damn thing anyone can do to stop-"

"I OBJECT!"

"Oh crap," Ryan thought.

The site of Leo duPres bursting through the door sent gasps across the room. Greenlee was staring a hole through him. With disbelief, she began inching her way towards the back of the church. Ryan tried calling to her but to no avail. Her expression of shock was frozen on her face even as her legs somehow took her to him. Leo waited for her - hoping. She finally found herself standing in front of him. Still in a trance, Greenlee's open hand slowly moved towards his cheek. Not until she touched him did she realize she wasn't dreaming. "L-L-Leo?" she asked softly. He nodded. It was all real. She wrapped her arms around him tightly as tears fell freely from her face. Leo picked her up, holding her just as hard. "It's me, baby. It's really me," he reassured her. She kept crying, not letting go of her thought to be dead husband. Everything she ever felt for him rushed to the surface in that moment. No more trying to find a love again because she had the real thing back in her arms.

Ryan tried to make his way towards them but Jack blocked his path. "Leave her be," Jack warned him. "Get out of my way, Montgomery! We have a wedding to finish!" "Oh I doubt that," Jack answered with a smile. Ryan tried to get past only to have Zach block his way. And then Tad, and then Frankie, and one by one the entire guest list joined together until it seemed all of Pine Valley stood between Ryan and his destination.

Leo and Greenlee continued to hold each other. Without letting go, Leo finally asked, "So what do you think about picking up where we left off? How does forever in Paris sound to you?"

"Sounds like the life I've always wanted," she answered. "Let's go." The pair began to walk out of the church arm in arm until they stopped at the door. She turned around to the wall of people behind her and gleefully announced: "The wedding's off!" to great applause from the guests who then began to make their way out.

"Amanda, wait!" Ryan called after one of his former wedding guests. "Amanda, I was being an idiot before, but you got it right. It's always been you, Amanda. You've always been my one true love."


	2. Chapter 2

_2 months later: Paris_

Greenlee duPres hummed a little tune to herself as she placed the eggs she had made – correction: whatever it was that was really supposed to be eggs – onto a plate. It had been two months since she got him back, and for the first time in many long years she felt whole again. It was such an overwhelming happiness that even things she knew she had no business doing – like failing miserably at her attempt to make breakfast – were now a blast. Because he saved her – and she was doing it for him.

"Greeeeenleeee?" she heard Leo's cheery voice approaching and hid his plate of eggs behind her back. He saw her when he entered their rarely used kitchen and laughed at her cute attempt to hide something from him.

"What are you doing in here?" Greenlee sounded startled. "Clothes off – in bed – now, Mister!" she ordered with a joking smile.

"As soon as I see what you're hiding from me," Leo approached her.

Greenlee backed away with a smile. "I told you. Clothes off – go to bed," she tried to stop him again. But he came forward to her anyway and looked at what she was hiding.

"You made me breakfast, Greens?" he smiled, taking the plate from her. "God, this looks terrible."

"Hey, come on! I put a lot of love into making that!"

"But not a lot of egg," Leo joked.

Greenlee slapped him on the arm. "That's the last time I do something nice for you, duPres!"

Leo continued to laugh at her and took her face in both his hands. "Listen, I love all of you: I love your horrid cooking, and I love that cute little grin you get when I hold you like this, and I love you trying to do something nice for me."

Greenlee licked her lips as he held her. It was the times like this when they were just joking around and having fun with each other that she had realized that she missed the most. Ah, finally being truly in love again – there was no better feeling in the world.

"But you're forgetting one very important thing," Leo continued.

"What's that?"

"As sweet as you are for trying, I'm not hungry for eggs this morning, Greens," he smiled mischievously. "I think you had the right idea with breakfast in bed, but you're off on the main dish."

He leaned down to kiss her when they heard a knocking at the door. They ignored it for a while and continued to kiss passionately until the repeated knockings were too annoying to ignore anymore.

"_Argh!!!"_ Greenlee let out a frustrated groan. "Let's hold that thought, shall we?"

She went to get the door with Leo following behind her.

"Finally!" Ryan sighed in relief when she opened the door to see him. He grabbed her into a hug. "I'm so glad I tracked you down!"

Leo smirked and leaned onto the wall. "This should be fun," he thought, ready to sit back and let his wife take care of this.

"This is so good," Ryan continued through his deep relieved breaths. "I've been trying to find you for so long – maybe a whole week! And – oh, hi Leo," he finally noticed his old friend standing there watching them.

"Don't mind me," Leo chuckled. "Please continue?" He reached into a nearby cabinet and took out a small bag of popcorn. Good entertainment needs a snack.

"Oh, yeah," Ryan turned back to Greenlee. "So I've been doing a lot of thinking, Annie, and I…"

"It's Greenlee," Greenlee corrected him. "My name is Greenlee. Or have you forgotten already?"

"Yeah, Greenlee, that's what I said."

"No you called me Annie. You remember her? Your ex-wife locked up in OakHaven?"

"Annie? Annie?" Ryan thought back.

"You have a daughter with her: Emma?"

"Yes of course I remember Emma," Ryan responded firmly. "I'm a great father to her."

"Well, if you're here and Annie is in OakHaven, who is watching Emma?" Greenlee asked.

"Emma is a grown girl," Ryan shook her off. "Parents leave teenagers home alone all the time!"

"She's six!" Greenlee snapped at him. This was like talking to Roger Smythe. What did she ever see in him again?

"Whatever," Ryan tried to change the topic. "Would you stop chewing so loud!" he snapped at Leo. "I'm trying to talk to the woman I love over here!"

"Sorry," Leo laughed him off. "I didn't mean to intrude on the almighty Ryan trying to tell my wife that he loves her. Carry on."

"Thank you," Ryan turned back to Greenlee and took hold of her hands. "So like I was trying to tell you, I've been doing a lot of thinking this week, Greenlee, and I realized something: I need you back no matter what. My life isn't the same without you."

"This week?" Greenlee questioned. "It's been two months, Ryan. What have you been doing since I left?"

"Well," Ryan scratched the back of his head. "After you left me, I was desperately in love with Amanda Dillon. We were so in love for that week, but it turns out she still had unresolved feelings for Jake and she felt she owed it to both of us to explore that. So I was all alone and miserable for a couple days before I realized that I had always loved Kendall. But she didn't want me – I know, crazy right? But in my destined, fated, decreed in the stars love for her, I decided to wait until she was ready. That's when Erica became the love of my life-"

"_Erica Kane_?" Leo accidentally spit out the popcorn in his mouth in laughter.

"Par for the course, baby," Greenlee rolled her eyes at him. "So Ryan, why is Erica no longer the love of your life?"

"Well, the second Jackson said he wanted her back she was gone. So I did some real soul searching and it hit me: it's always been you, Greenlee. I know both times I claimed to love you it seemed like it was only because I couldn't have Kendall, but I figured out that it's really always been you. That's what I realized a couple days ago and I had to come find you and tell you. The rest of the loves of my life might think they don't want me anymore, but I know you still do. Please tell me you want me back?"

Greenlee tried not to laugh at how Ryan arrived at his newest revelation and looked at Leo for backup. He shrugged and gave her an "it's your mess" look.

"Okay, Ryan," she told him. "Here's how it is. I don't want you. I'm finally free – I'm me again! And it feels great."

"I don't understand," Ryan stuttered. "But you loved me."

"No, some pod person taking over my body and going by my name thought she loved you. But now that I've got the real thing I remember what love is, Ryan. You see, to be around you, I had to practically turn my brain off. I spent years of my life sleep-walking to try and find happiness with you, and it turned me into a sickeningly dependant shell of the women I used to be. You stole everything good about me – everything that makes me Greenlee Smythe duPres – everything that makes me entertaining. And then Leo came back and I remembered that when you have real love, you don't have to be someone else like I was doing – it just is. Love completes the person you are, it doesn't turn you into an invasion of the body snatchers remake. I'm happier now than I've ever been now that I don't have to twist myself into a pretzel to try and force happiness. So I suggest you go back to Pine Valley and work on your – um, how many soulmates do you have again?"

"Um," Ryan thought about it for a moment. "I've lost track."

"Great," Greenlee clapped her hands and started talking slowly to make sure Ryan would understand her. "So go home – make that number 'I've lost track' plus one, and try and spend some time with your daughter before she forgets your name. Oh, and try and make your next one a woman who is actually single. I know that's not as appealing to you as married women, but it's time to try something new."

"Okay, buddy," Leo came up and put his arm around Ryan. "I think you get the point." He led him outside and asked for his cell phone which Ryan promptly gave him. "I know losing the love of your life will be hard for you for the next two days, but I know some people you can talk to to help you through it," he explained as he programmed a number into the cell phone. "Call this number and all your problems will go away."

Leo left him outside and reentered his home. He and Greenlee stared at each other for a second before bursting out in laughter. "Thanks for saving me from myself," Greenlee hugged him. "If it wasn't for you, I might be spending the rest of my life as that moron's brain-dead zombie wife."

"You can thank me by picking up where we left off," Leo smiled and picked her up in his arms, carrying her back to the bedroom as they kissed passionately.

Ryan could hear their laughter from outside. He looked at his cell phone and the number that Leo had put in. He pressed call and waited for an answer.

"Hello. You've reached the OakHaven medical facility. What can I do for you?"


End file.
